(a) Technical Field
The present invention relates to a system for manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) of a fuel cell stack. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system for manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly of a fuel cell stack, in which the entire process for manufacturing the membrane electrode assembly is automated and, in particular, bonding and stamping processes for the membrane electrode assembly and a gas diffusion layer are integrated.
(b) Background Art
A conventional fuel cell system comprises a fuel cell stack for generating electricity by electrochemical reaction, a hydrogen supply system for supplying hydrogen as a fuel to the fuel cell stack, an oxygen (e.g., air) supply system for supplying oxygen containing air as an oxidant required for the electrochemical reaction in the fuel cell stack, a thermal management system (TMS) for removing reaction heat from the fuel cell stack to the exterior of the fuel cell system, controlling operation temperature of the fuel cell stack, and performing water management function, and a system controller for controlling overall operation of the fuel cell system.
The fuel cell stack comprises a membrane electrode assembly, a gas diffusion layer (GDL), a gasket, a sealing member, and a bipolar plate separator. The MEA includes a polymer electrolyte membrane through which hydrogen ions are transported. An electrode/catalyst layer, in which an electrochemical reaction takes place is disposed on both sides of the polymer electrolyte membrane. The GDL uniformly diffuses reactant gases and transmits generated electricity. The gasket provides an airtight seal for the reactant gases and a coolant. The sealing member provides a bonding pressure to the gasket. The bipolar plate separator supports the MEA and GDL, collects and transmits the generated electricity, transmits the reactant gases, transmits and removes reaction products, and transmits the coolant to remove reaction heat, etc. Typically, a fuel cell vehicle requires one module stack, which comprises a plurality of MEAs, GDLs, and separators and two end plates, and each MEA has flow passageways through which hydrogen, air, and coolant flow.
Extensive research aimed at developing a system for manufacturing high quality MEAs to facilitate mass production of fuel cells for vehicles has continued to progress, and the necessity for a system for automatically bonding the MEA and the GDL and simultaneously processing the flow fields increases.
Conventionally, the manufacturing processes of the MEAs such as workpiece supply, stamping, bonding, etc. are performed manually increasing the potential risk of safety accidents during pressing, and may be unsuitable for mass production of next-generation vehicles. Moreover, the stamping process and the bonding process are performed separately, decreasing efficiency of the manufacturing.
Moreover, although a system for automatically performing the workpiece supply, the stamping process, and the bonding process have been developed, the stamping process and the bonding process are performed separately.
However, most of the currently available manufacturing systems have complex structures, poor efficiency in terms of linked operation between the respective processes, require large areas for installation, and require long production cycle times, which are disadvantageous for mass production.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.